1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the electronic distribution, redemption and clearing of promotional incentives. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and system for defining, electronically distributing, dynamically displaying to a consumer, redeeming and clearing promotional incentives whose characteristics are adaptively obtained as a function of demographics, behavior history, and other characteristics of the viewing consumer and other such properties.
2. Background Discussion
It is common practice for businesses to provide incentives to consumers to buy products or services or to provide incentive for particular consumer behavior by offering promotions such as discounts, coupons, prizes, etc. Common examples of incentives are discount coupons that consumers can present to claim the discount when they purchase products or services.
Businesses are very concerned with using their promotion budget efficiently. They want to discount products at specific times, to specific consumers in such a way as to maximize the profit when the cost of the promotion and its effect on sales is taken into account. The optimal discount incentive, for example, is the smallest discount that will successfully motivate the consumer to purchase.
The optimal incentive, for example, the optimal discount, is a function of several factors:                Inventory factors may include: the demand for the product which may vary even on a daily basis, for example in the hospitality industry; the cost of carrying the product; the remaining life of the product before it is superseded or upgraded; and so on.        Financial factors include preferred timing for selling the product. For example, in some industries a company is more motivated to make a sale at certain points in the week, the month, the quarter or the year.        Consumer factors include demographic characteristics, stated consumer interest, and past purchasing behavior. A company, for example, may want to provide a more valuable incentive to one type of potential customer (e.g., wealthier, more stable, more loyal, etc.)        
In addition, the optimal incentive system needs to be flexible, for example to enable several entities to be involved, and for any particular incentive to have one or more characteristics depend on the characteristics of one or more of these entities.